1
as in controllers
a mechanism for adjusting the operation of a device, machine, or system
the controls for the player are well marked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in hands
the ability to direct the course of something
after the tail fell off, the plane went out of the pilot's control firefighters keeping control of the blaze
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in operations
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something
control of manufacturing operations was given to a new manager with fresh ideas
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in powers
the right or means to command or control others
teachers are responsible for the students under their control
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in regulates
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
you must learn to control your temper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contains
to gain emotional or mental control of
he controlled himself only with the greatest difficulty in the face of his opponent's insulting remarks
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in rules
to exercise authority or power over
circumstances often control the choices we make in life
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in operates
to look after and make decisions about
during the period that she controlled the company it was highly profitable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of controls
Mark Greeven,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Anthropic had objected to the government’s decision to impose export controls in a blog post announcing that the two systems had been disabled.
—
Josh Wingrove,
Fortune,
27 June 2026
On Friday afternoon a small plane appeared to evade some of the world’s strictest aviation controls and slam into the tallest skyscraper in Beijing, the 109-story CITIC Tower that dominates the city’s skyline, killing the pilot and injuring 13 other people.
—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
It was not immediately known what caused the crash in a city with strict airspace controls, including a recent ban on drones.
—
ABC News,
27 June 2026
Anthropic rolled out a series of controls in August that allow customers to provision users, view analytics and set spending limits at the organization and individual level.
—
Ashley Capoot,kate Rooney,
CNBC,
26 June 2026
By nature of Darwinism, insects resistant to certain controls often breed and multiply in a garden, passing on that resistance as a genetic trait.
—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
20 June 2026
Rather than dealing with the dynamics driving away wealth, Xi Jinping’s totalitarian regime is imposing stringent new controls on buying stocks, real estate and insurance policies overseas.
—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
20 June 2026
Immediate steps were taken to strengthen access controls for customer profile data, and additional security features will be added in the future.
—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Well, first, yes, Iran controls the strait.
—
CBS News,
21 June 2026
The current passing through it controls how quickly the reactions occur, while the voltage helps drive those reactions forward.
—
New Atlas,
21 June 2026
Skydance Media, through its acquisition of Paramount, already controls the CBS News archive.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 June 2026
Via SpaceX, Musk controls one of America’s most important defense contractors.
—
Gautam Mukunda,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
Not only have Europeans suffered from higher energy prices, but the result of the war is that Iran now controls the Strait of Hormuz and will for the foreseeable future.
—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
The film also poses the question of who or what really controls us?
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and now first-ever trillionaire, controls a lot of different businesses.
—
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Noun
Export controls have blocked Huawei and China’s leading chipmakers from access to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools and leading-edge foundry capacity around which the frontier semiconductor roadmap is organized.
—
Mark Greeven,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Anthropic had objected to the government’s decision to impose export controls in a blog post announcing that the two systems had been disabled.
—
Josh Wingrove,
Fortune,
27 June 2026
On Friday afternoon a small plane appeared to evade some of the world’s strictest aviation controls and slam into the tallest skyscraper in Beijing, the 109-story CITIC Tower that dominates the city’s skyline, killing the pilot and injuring 13 other people.
—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
It was not immediately known what caused the crash in a city with strict airspace controls, including a recent ban on drones.
—
ABC News,
27 June 2026
Anthropic rolled out a series of controls in August that allow customers to provision users, view analytics and set spending limits at the organization and individual level.
—
Ashley Capoot,kate Rooney,
CNBC,
26 June 2026
By nature of Darwinism, insects resistant to certain controls often breed and multiply in a garden, passing on that resistance as a genetic trait.
—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
20 June 2026
Rather than dealing with the dynamics driving away wealth, Xi Jinping’s totalitarian regime is imposing stringent new controls on buying stocks, real estate and insurance policies overseas.
—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
20 June 2026
Immediate steps were taken to strengthen access controls for customer profile data, and additional security features will be added in the future.
—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
Verb
China controls roughly 90% of the global bismuth supply.
—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Well, first, yes, Iran controls the strait.
—
CBS News,
21 June 2026
The current passing through it controls how quickly the reactions occur, while the voltage helps drive those reactions forward.
—
New Atlas,
21 June 2026
Skydance Media, through its acquisition of Paramount, already controls the CBS News archive.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 June 2026
Via SpaceX, Musk controls one of America’s most important defense contractors.
—
Gautam Mukunda,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
Not only have Europeans suffered from higher energy prices, but the result of the war is that Iran now controls the Strait of Hormuz and will for the foreseeable future.
—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
The film also poses the question of who or what really controls us?
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and now first-ever trillionaire, controls a lot of different businesses.
—
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controls
Noun
-
Gamers will also get access to player profiles with avatars for the first time, as well as support for a wider range of controllers.
-
Rather than a small drawer or tray, the divided top of West Elm’s storage coffee table rotates to reveal an empty storage cavity to fill with throw blankets, books, or video game controllers.
Noun
-
In your view, are the biggest risks from AI systems themselves or from the humans deploying them, the possibility of AI in the hands of rogue actors is particularly concerning here.
-
Ten members of the pool raised their hands with three admitting to having some knowledge of King.
Noun
-
The last-place Angels appointed former Cardinals GM John Mozeliak to be their interim general manager and baseball operations consultant on Friday.
-
For employers building out their presence in the space economy, this means continually competing for the select pool of workers who possess the skillsets needed to sustain current operations and long-term growth.
Noun
-
Toph escapes the clutches of her mother — who poisoned and kidnapped her — by revealing her earthbending powers, breaking out of the metal cage to rejoin Team Avatar.
-
That may have been acceptable in the decades following the Cold War, but today's geopolitical environment is pushing both major and mid-sized military powers to prioritize advanced weapon systems that can be manufactured quickly, in large numbers, and at lower cost.
Verb
-
The move by the Bar Standards Board, which regulates lawyers practicing in England and Wales, is the latest challenge Khan is facing.
-
This matters because humans have a direct neural pathway from the eyes to the brain region that regulates the circadian rhythm, our internal biological clock governing wakefulness and sleep.
Verb
-
Bar soap contains fatty acids that react with certain minerals, especially those in hard water.
-
The report compiled by the Star-Telegram contains data from June 7-13 and 98 inspections.
Verb
-
He was called to the stewards and slapped with a one-race ban that rules him out of Sunday's Grand Prix.
-
Best player available rules the day.
Verb
-
The company leases the roof to a third-party solar company that operates and maintains the solar array.
-
This network operates on a hub-and-satellite model, allowing electronics to be collected and processed closer to where they are retired rather than being shipped long distances to a small number of centralized facilities.
Cite this Entry
“Controls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controls. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
